Mirror mount assembly with dual reflective surfaces

ABSTRACT

A mirror mount assembly includes multiple reflective surfaces disposed within a mirror housing for use on a vehicle. The reflective surfaces of each reflective surface are designed and configured for mounting at a pre-selected site. When so mounted, each reflective surface provides an expanded field-of-view of objects disposed in a specific zone proximate to the mirror mount assembly. When positioned at the extreme front end of the hood of a Type-C school bus, one of the reflective surfaces provides an expanded field-of-view below and alongside the driver and a reflective surface provides an expanded field-of-view below and in front of the school bus. On a Type-D school bus, the mirror mount assembly is disposed above the driver and suspended from the roof of the bus—the housing inkling the two reflective surfaces and a rear-view mirror. The reflective surfaces are designed to provide the driver with the best images in the target zones while minimizing the blindspot behind the mirror mount assembly. Either reflective surface may be adjustable within the housing to account for differing size and shapes of vehicle drivers.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a mirror mount assembly for mountingonto large commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles, and buses,including but not limited to trucks, school buses, buses for publictransportation, trailers, garbage trucks, boats, cars, station wagons,trains, aircraft, and boats, and more particularly, to a mirror mountingassembly including multiple reflective surfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

While the technology set forth herein has broad applications to largecommercial vehicles, recreational vehicles, and buses, for purposes ofexample and illustration this technology is shown in this specificationin school bus applications. One skilled in the art can readily applysuch teachings to such other vehicles.

School buses are the single largest system of public transportation inthe U.S., providing about 10 billion rides annually to students grades Kthrough 12. Each year, roughly 440,000 public school buses travel 4.3billion miles, transporting 23.5 million children to and fromschools—54% of all students. The National Safety Council reports thatschool buses are the safest form of ground transportation with afatality rate of 0.01 percent per 100,000,000 passenger miles.

However, the National School Transportation Association reports that 25school children were killed in school bus loading zones in the 1995-96school year. This number is up from 20 in 1994-95. Of these fatalities,two-thirds were students between the ages of 2 and 8 years. From 1975 to1995, passing motorists caused 39% of such deaths and 61% were caused bythe bus itself.

Various configurations, designs, and geometries for reflective surfaceshave been proposed that provide improved visibility to the school busdriver in the danger zones—(a) along either side and (b) immediately infront of and below the front of the bus.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,984 (Schmidt et al.) discloses an oval ellipticalmirror mount assembly. The mirror mount assembly has a generally convexreflective surface—a longer axis and a shorter axis essentially normalto each other. The oval shape provides the driver with an enlargedfield-of-view along the longer axis. The varying radius reflectivesurface provides an expanded field-of-view as compared with a continuousradius reflective surface. The oval mirror mount assembly is positionedwith the long axis or first major axis vertical to the ground providingan extended field-of-view from top to bottom.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,211 (Schmidt et al.) discloses a truncated convexvehicular reflective surface for mounting onto the exterior frontfender. The reflective surface is a portion of a convex surfaceellipsoid with a plurality of radii of curvature. The mirror providesthe driver with a field-of-view that is greater than the reflectionangle about the vertical axis. The viewing center point of thereflective surface is aligned with the geometric center point of thereflective surface.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,963 (Schmidt et at.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,578(Schmidt, et at.), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,372 (Schmidt, et at.)disclose an assortment of configurations for vehicular mirrorsassemblies. The mirrors generally have continuous convex geometries andare in the shape of an ellipsoid. The mirrors provide the drive with afield-of-view along the vertical axis in the range of 180° to 220° whileminimizing the size of any blindspot behind the mirror mount assembly.

The safety of children on school buses demands the highest standard ofcare. Even a minor reduction in the size of the blindspots is important,since lives are involved.

In one conventional bus mirror system, the driver often has four convexmirrors disposed on the front of the bus (see FIG. 1A), creatingnumerous blindspots, the need for independent mirror mounts, andconfusion as to which mirror he or she should view in varioussituations. In a second conventional bus mirror system, a convex mirrorpositioned at the extreme front edge of the bus enables viewing of theside and front of the bus, but the images in these mirrors are primarilythe bus itself—which is undesirable (see FIG. 1B).

Several recently issued Patents address the problem of blindspot sizereduction by using a single mirror with multiple reflective surfaces.Such mirrors when appropriately positioned provide one portion of suchsurface to view one area proximate to the vehicle (e.g.—in front) andanother portion of such surface to view a different area proximate thevehicle (e.g.—alongside).

U.S. Pat. No. 6,069,755 (Li) discloses a vehicular rear-view mirrorhaving a convex reflecting surface. The surface is composed of aplurality of distinct curved surfaces each having a selected shape thatis smoothly joined with each other with a continuously varying averagecurvature. The average curvature increases gradually along the verticaldirection from the top to the bottom of the mirror and along thetransverse horizontal direction away from the body of the vehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,084 (Schmidt) discloses a combination curved andflat mirror lens surface, having a flatter top portion and a convexlower portion. The surface has a maximum radius of curvature at one endvarying to a minimum radius of curvature at the opposing end. Asubstantially horizontally aligned arc bisects and extends between eachpair of side edges. The two portions are formed integrally with eachother, with no overlap of the viewing field and no discontinuity. Themirror has a varying radius of curvature normal to the horizontal arcsuch that a maximum radius of curvature is achieved near one edge and aminimum radius of curvature near another edge.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,786 (McCord) discloses a banana-shaped rear-viewmirror having a continuously decreasing radius of curvature from themirror center and toward the mirror ends. The mirror center isrelatively flat, and the opposite ends of the mirror are curved downwardto provide additional surface area for viewing objects alongside thevehicle.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,050 (McCord) discloses a vehicle mirror havingconvex curvatures. The vehicle mirror includes a first portion of theviewing surface wherein the field angle increases at an increasing rateas the observer's eye travels outward across the mirror, and a secondportion wherein the field angle increases at a decreasing rate as theobserver's eye travels across the reflective surface. The mirrorincludes (1) a primary viewing area nearest to the observer having aspherical convex surface, (2) a secondary viewing area somewhat fartherfrom the observer, having an aspherical convex surface wherein the fieldangle increases at an increasing rate, and (3) a tertiary viewing areastill farther outward, having an aspherical convex curvature wherein thefield angle increases at a decreasing rate.

However, it has been found that some combination surfaces either providedistortion in zones between the combination surfaces or provide views ofobjects in zones not needed, thereby increasing the size of theblindspot behind the combination mirror.

What is needed is a mirror mount assembly that will provide a driverwith a clear and expanded field-of-view in multiple zones proximate tothe vehicle so as to minimize the number of mirror mounted onto andabout the vehicle; a mirror mount assembly that enhances thefield-of-view and the visibility about the vehicle without enlarging theblindspot; and a mirror mount assembly that provides an enlargedfield-of-view of objects outside and proximate to the vehicle, withminimal distortion of the images.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The term “Type C” school bus as used herein refers to a school bodystyle that is installed upon a flat-back cowl chassis with a grossvehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds, designed for carryingmore than 10 persons. The entire engine is in front of the windshieldand the entrance door is behind the front wheels. An example of a Type Cschool bus is depicted in FIG. 6.

The term “Type D” school bus as used herein refers to a school bodystyle that is installed upon a chassis, with the engine mounted in thefront, midship, or rear with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than10,000 pounds, and designed for carrying more than 10 persons. Theengine may be behind the windshield and beside the driver's seat; it maybe at the rear of the bus, behind the rear wheels; or midship betweenthe front and rear axles. The entrance door is ahead of the frontwheels. An example of a Type D school bus is also depicted in FIG. 6.

The mirror mount assembly of the present invention addresses all of theabove-identified needs, and provides an improved field-of-view withoutenlarging the blindspot behind the mirror mount assembly. By minimizingthe number of mirror mount assemblies disposed onto and about thevehicle, personal safety, driver convenience and cost effectiveness areachieved.

The preferred embodiments of the mirror mount assembly of the presentinvention include multiple reflective surfaces disposed within a mirrorhousing. Each reflective surface is designed and configured for mountingat a pre-selected site. Some of reflective surfaces are generally convexin shape providing an enlarged field-of-view in certain pre-selectedareas. One or more of the reflective surfaces may have flat reflectivesurfaces. When so mounted, each reflective surface provides an expandedfield-of-view of objects disposed in a specific target zone proximate tothe mirror mount assembly.

When positioned at the extreme front end on a Type C school bus, one ofthe reflective surfaces provides an expanded field-of-view below andalongside the driver and a second reflective surface provides anexpanded field-of-view below and in front of the bus. The reflectivesurfaces are designed to provide the bus driver with clear images in thetarget zones.

For a more complete understanding of the mirror mount assembly of thepresent invention, reference is made to the following detaileddescription and accompanying drawings in which the presently preferredembodiments of the invention are shown by way of example. As theinvention may be embodied in many forms without departing from spirit ofessential characteristics thereof, it is expressly understood that thedrawings are for purposes of illustration and description only, and arenot intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Throughoutthe description, like reference numbers refer to the same componentthroughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A discloses the front half of a conventional Type C school buswith a first prior art configuration for a system of mirrors enablingthe driver to view both sides of the bus and the front of the bus;

FIG. 1B discloses a second prior art mirror assembly having a wide-anglereflective surface for mounting upon the hood of the school bus;

FIG. 1C discloses a first preferred embodiment of the mirror mountassembly of the present invention with dual reflecting surfaces—one forviewing objects alongside the bus and the second for viewing objects infront of the bus;

FIG. 2 is an environmental view depicting a pair of mirror mountassemblies as shown in FIG. 1C as deployed onto a conventional Type Cschool bus, each mirror mount assembly providing the driver with afield-of-view in a first zone alongside and near ground level proximateto the school bus and in a second zone in front of near ground levelproximate to the school bus;

FIG. 3A shows a perspective view of the mirror mount assembly of thepresent invention for placement on the extreme right corner of the frontof the school bus;

FIG. 3B shows a front view of the mirror mount assembly of the presentinvention as shown in FIG. 2 for placement on the extreme left corner ofthe front of the school bus;

FIG. 3C shows a side view of the mirror mount assembly of FIG. 3Bcomplete with a conventional mounting bracket;

FIG. 4A is an environmental view of a second preferred embodimentdepicting the mirror mount assembly of the present invention employedonto a transit-style Type D school bus, the mirror mount assembly beingsuspended from the upper right corner of the front of the school bus, aconvex reflective surface providing the driver with a field-of-view in azone along the right side and near ground level proximate to the schoolbus and a flat reflective surface that is a rear-view mirror;

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the second preferred embodiment of themirror mount assembly of the present invention shown in FIG. 4A forplacement on the extreme right corner of the front of the school bus;

FIG. 5A is an environmental view of a third preferred embodimentdepicting the mirror mount assembly of the present invention employedonto a conventional Type D school bus, the mirror mount assembly beingsuspended from the upper right corner of the front of the school bus andcombining three reflective surfaces, a first convex reflective surfaceproviding the driver with a field-of-view in a zone along the right sideand near ground level proximate to the school bus, a second convexreflective surface providing the driver with a field-of-view in a zonein front of near ground level proximate to the school bus, and a flatreflective surface that is a rear-view mirror;

FIG. 5B shows a front view of the third preferred embodiment of themirror mount assembly of the present invention as shown in FIG. 5A; and

FIG. 6 discloses conventional school bus body types—Type A, Type B, TypeC, and Type D—Types C and D being the object of the mirror mountassemblies of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings with initial reference to FIGS. 1C and 2which illustrate an environmental view of the preferred embodiment ofthe mirror mount assembly 10 of the present invention—a dual mirrormount assembly mounted onto a Type C school bus 12.

The mirror mount assembly 10 as shown comprises a mirror housing 20, anda pair of reflective surfaces (30 and 40) secured within the mirrorhousing 20. The front reflective surface 30 has a substantially convexshape. The front reflective surface 30 is primarily configured so thatwhen the mirror mount assembly 10 is properly positioned, the frontreflective surface 30 provides the school bus driver with an expandedfield-of-view of objects disposed in a first zone. The side reflectivesurface 40 is separate and distinct from the front reflective surface 30(alongside and below the school bus driver. The side reflective surface40 also has a substantially convex shape. The side reflective surface 40is primarily configured so that when properly positioned, it providesthe school bus driver with an expanded field-of-view of objects in asecond zone, the second zone being in front and below the school busdriver.

In one preferred embodiment of the mirror mount assembly 10 of thepresent invention, each of the reflective surfaces (30 and 40) isgenerally convex and has the shape of a partial ellipsoid. As usedherein the terms “ellipsoid” and “ellipsoidal,” unless the contextsuggests otherwise, refer to solid geometrical shapes that have at leastone section that is essentially elliptical in shape. These shapes aregenerally well known in the art as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,963,U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,578, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,372 cited above. Thepreferred embodiment of the mirror housing 20 is shown in U.S. DesignNo. 370,882 and is commercially available from the Mirror Lite Companyof Brownstown, Mich.

The mirror mount assemblies (10A and 10B) for use on each side of theschool bus 12 are not identical. The placement of the two reflectivesurfaces (30 and 40) relative to each other is interchanged depending onwhich front side of the school bus 12 is the pre-selected site. As shownin preferred embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, the reflectivesurface provides the field-of-view of the front of the school bus 12 hasfour rounded corners, and the reflective surface providing thefield-of-view alongside the school bus 12 has but three rounded corners.The two reflective surfaces (30 and 40) are mounted side-by-side in themirror housing 20.

Since it is recognized that the danger area for a school bus 12 is theloading and unloading zones immediately about the school bus 12, optimalsites for the mirror mount assembly 10 of the present invention on aType C school bus 12 are the extreme upper right and left-hand cornerson the hood, one mirror mount assembly 10 being placed at each site.When the mirror mount assembly 10 of the present invention is positionedat the leftmost corner of the top of the school bus 12, the frontreflective surface provides the school bus driver with a clear andexpanded field-of-view at ground level in front of the school bus 12 andthe side reflective surface provides the school bus driver with a clearfield-of-view along the left side of the school bus 12. Similarly, whenthe mirror mount assembly 10 of the present invention is positioned atthe rightmost corner of the top of the school bus 12, again the frontreflective surface 30 provides the school bus driver with a clear andexpanded field-of-view at ground level in front of the school bus 12 andthe side reflective surface provides the school bus driver with a clearfield-of-view along the right side of the school bus 12.

Each reflective surface (30 and 40) in the mirror housing 20 is designedand configured to provide the school bus driver with an enlargedfield-of-view in a specific zone. For example, the front reflectivesurface 30 is directed at the left front of the school bus 12, and theside reflective surface 40 is directed at ground level at the left sideof the school bus 12. Similarly, for the right-side mirror mountassembly 10 as shown in FIG. 3A, the side reflective surface is directedat the ground level on the right-side of the school bus 12 and the frontreflective surface is directed at the right-front of the school bus 12.

FIGS. 4A and 4B disclose a second preferred embodiment of the mirrormount assembly 10 of the present invention disposed onto a transit-style“Type D” school bus 12′. The mirror mount assembly 10 as shown issuspended from the upper right corner of the front of the school bus12′. A convex reflective surface provides the driver with afield-of-view in a zone along the right side and near ground levelproximate to the school bus 12′ and a flat reflective surface 50 that isa rear-view mirror is included in the same mounting.

FIGS. 5A and 5B disclose of a third preferred embodiment of the mirrormount assembly 10 of the present invention disposed again onto aconventional Type D school bus 12′. The mirror mount assembly 10 isshown suspended from the upper right corner of the front of the schoolbus 12′. The mirror mount assembly 10 houses three separate and distinctreflective surfaces. The first convex reflective surface 30 provides thedriver with a field-of-view in a zone along the right side and nearground level proximate to the school bus 12′. The second convexreflective surface 40 provides the driver with a field-of-view in a zone(32A and 32B) in front of near ground level proximate to the school bus12′. The third reflective surface 50 is positioned within the mirrorhousing 20″ between reflective surfaces 30 and 40. The third reflectivesurface 50 is flat and is a conventional rear-view mirror.

The mirror housing 20″ includes a base 22 and a stem 24, the stem beingpositioned above the stem 24 (generally in the shape of an inverted L).The mirror housing 20A″ disposed on the mirror mount assembly 10″ of thepresent invention on the left-side of the school bus 12 has the shape ofan inverted L, and the mirror mount assembly 20B″ disposed on theright-side of the school bus 12′ has the general shape of an invertedand reversed L.

In another preferred embodiment of the mirror mount assembly 10 of thepresent invention, the front reflective surfaces (30A and 30B) are ovalelliptical in shape, and the side reflective surfaces (40A and 40B) areellipsoidal (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,984). The front reflective surfaces(30A and 30B) each are substantially oval shaped with the longer axis ofthe oval corresponding with the first major axis and the shorter axis ofthe oval corresponding with the minor axis. The shorter axis isessentially normal to the longer axis. The front reflective surface 30has varying radii of curvature along the axes. The front reflectivesurface 30 is oval-shaped with a first or long axis corresponding to thefirst major axis and a second or short axis corresponding to the minoraxis. The front reflective surface 30 is defined by an edge or perimeterthat surrounds the reflective surface. The front reflective surface 30is, preferably, an ellipsoid with varying radii along both the firstmajor axis the minor axis. Generally, the front reflective surface 30has a shorter radius proximate the perimeter and a larger radiusproximate the intersection of the two major axes.

The convex reflective surfaces (30 and 40) may also have continuouslyvarying radii of curvature as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,069,755 (Li)or U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,084 (Schmidt). These configurations are secondarypreferred embodiments of the present invention inasmuch because of thesmaller size of the reflective surfaces 30 and 40 in the mirror mountassembly 10 of the present invention.

Also, in various embodiments of the mirror mount assembly 10 of thepresent invention, (a) both reflective surfaces (30 and 40) are fixedwithin the housing 20, (b) either reflective surface is adjustable (30or) within the housing 20, and (c) both reflective surfaces (30 and 40)are adjustable within the housing 20 by instrumentation within theinstrument panel of the school bus 12. The preferred embodiment of themirror mount assembly 10 of the present invention has the sidereflective surface adjustable in the housing, whereas the frontreflective surface 40 is fixed within the mirror housing 20.

It is a delicate balance between providing the school bus driver withthe expanded field-of-view in both zones, while minimizing the size ofthe blindspot. It has been found in the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, that the width of the mirror mount assembly 10 asmounted onto a school bus 12 is in the range of from 12″ to 15″wide—preferably about 13.5″ wide. The height of the mirror mountassembly 10 is in the range of from 6¾″ to 9¼″ and preferably, about 8″high.

While the mirror mount assembly 10 of the present invention has beendesigned and configured for large school bus 12 s, one having ordinaryskill in the art will recognize that the assembly also has broadapplications in non-vehicular applications—such as a convenient foodstore or a bank lobby. Also, one skilled in the art will recognize thata third reflective surface may be used in conjunction with the mirrormount assembly 10 of the present invention in applications where afield-of-view above the mirror mount assembly 10 is appropriate. Whilemultiple reflective surfaces may be used, the preferred embodiment ofthe mirror mount assembly 10 includes but two reflective surfacesmounted within a mirror housing 20.

Various Patents are referenced by number and inventor throughout thisapplication. The disclosures of these Patents are hereby incorporated byreference into this specification in order to more fully describe thestate of the art to which this technology pertains.

It is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations ofthe mirror mount assembly 10 of the present invention as applied toschool buses will be apparent to those skilled in the art to a broadrange of other larger school bus 12 s (both recreational and commercial)in light of the disclosure herein. It is intended that the metes andbounds of the present invention be determined by the appended claimsrather than by the language of the above specification, and that allsuch alternatives, modifications, and variations which form a conjointlycooperative equivalent are intended to be included within the spirit andscope of these claims.

1. A mirror mount assembly for mounting upon a pre-selected site of avehicle, the mirror mount assembly comprising; a mirror housing formounting onto the pre-selected site of the vehicle: a first reflectivesurface secured within the mirror housing, the first reflective surfacehaving a substantially convex shape, the first reflective surface beingpositioned in the mirror housing providing a vehicle driver with anexpanded field-of-view of objects in a first zone; and a secondreflective surface having a substantially convex shape, the secondreflective surface being distinct from the first reflective surface, thesecond reflective surface being primarily positioned in the mirrorhousing proximate to the first reflective surface providing the vehicledriver with an expanded field-of-view of objects in a second zone, thesecond zone being different than the first zone.
 2. The mirror mountassembly of claim 1, further comprising a rear-view mirror having a flatsurface, the flat rear-view mirror being disposed within the mirrorhousing.
 3. The mirror mount assembly of claim 1, wherein the firstreflective surface provides a field-of-view that is greater than areflective angle of the reflective surface.
 4. The mirror mount assemblyof claim 1, wherein the first reflective surface is adjustable withinthe mirror housing.
 5. The mirror mount assembly of claim 4, wherein thesecond reflective surface is adjustable within the mirror housing. 6.The mirror mount assembly of claim 1, wherein one reflective surface hasan oval ellipsoidal shape.
 7. The mirror mount assembly of claim 1,wherein one reflective surface has a shape that is a partial ellipsoid.8. The mirror mount assembly of claim 1, wherein one reflective surfacehas a variable radius of curvature.
 9. A mirror mount assembly formounting upon a vehicle having an entire engine in front of a vehiclewindshield, the mirror mount assembly comprising; a mirror housing formounting onto the vehicle in front of the entire engine; a firstreflective surface secured within the mirror housing, the firstreflective surface having a substantially convex shape, the firstreflective surface being positioned in the mirror housing providing avehicle driver with an expanded field-of-view of objects alongside thevehicle; and a second reflective surface having a substantially convexshape, the second reflective surface being distinct from the firstreflective surface, the second reflective surface being primarilypositioned in the mirror housing proximate to the first reflectivesurface providing the vehicle driver with an expanded field-of-view ofobjects in front of the vehicle.
 10. The mirror mount assembly of claim9, wherein the first reflective surface provides a field-of-view that isgreater than a reflective angle of the reflective surface.
 11. Themirror mount assembly of claim 9, wherein the first reflective surfaceis adjustable within the mirror housing.
 12. The mirror mount assemblyof claim 9, wherein the second reflective surface is adjustable withinthe mirror housing.
 13. The mirror mount assembly of claim 9, whereinone reflective surface has an oval ellipsoidal shape.
 14. The mirrormount assembly of claim 9, wherein one reflective surface has a variableradius of curvature.
 15. A mirror mount assembly for mounting upon avehicle having an entire engine behind a vehicle windshield, the mirrormount assembly comprising; a mirror housing for mounting in front of andabove the vehicle windshield; a first reflective surface secured withinthe mirror housing, the first reflective surface having a substantiallyconvex shape, the first reflective surface being positioned in themirror housing providing a vehicle driver with an expanded field-of-viewof objects alongside the vehicle; and a second reflective surface havinga substantially convex shape, the second reflective surface beingdistinct from the first reflective surface, the second reflectivesurface being primarily positioned in the mirror housing proximate tothe first reflective surface providing the vehicle driver with anexpanded field-of-view of objects in front of the vehicle.
 16. Themirror mount assembly of claim 15, further comprising a rear-view mirrorhaving a flat surface, the flat rear-view mirror being disposed withinthe mirror housing.
 17. The mirror mount assembly of claim 15, whereinthe first reflective surface is adjustable within the mirror housing.18. The mirror mount assembly of claim 15, wherein the second reflectivesurface is adjustable within the mirror housing.
 19. The mirror mountassembly of claim 15, wherein one reflective surface has an ovalellipsoidal shape.
 20. The mirror mount assembly of claim 15, whereinone reflective surface has a variable radius of curvature.